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Posts Tagged“red”

Heron Hill Winery 2011 Reserve Blaufrankisch

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Bright berry notes — crushed raspberry and sour cherry — dominate the nose on Heron Hill Winery 2011 Reserve Blaufrankisch ($40) with a sprinkling of pepper and baking spice and vanilla sugar. That peppery spicy edge is present on the medium-light bodied palate, but there is much more oak — raw and bitter — as well. The bramble/raspberry and sour cherry fruit is juicy and fresh, just hidden beneath wood tannins. \ Producer: Heron Hill Winery AVA: Finger Lakes ABV: 12.5% Production: 350 cases Price: $40 (sample) (2.5 out of 5, Average-to-Very Good)

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Windham Vineyards 2005/2006 Three Red Kings

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief When most New Yorkers hear "Windham" they think about the popular ski slopes there. But James Bateman, owner, vineyard manager and winemaker at Windham Vineyards, is growing grapes and making wine there instead.  Of course, with those ski slopes, its no surprise that Bateman, an Englishman, presides over the highest elevation vineyards in the east — at 2000 and 2200 feet above sea level.  I've tasted and reviewed two wines made with estate-grown grapes, his St. Pepin and Frontenac Gris. Both showed potential and were interesting explorations for me because I'd never tasted those hybrids before.…

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SURU 2007 Red

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Russell Hearn, winemaker at Pellegrini Vineyards, partner in Premium Wine Group and founding member of the Long Island Merlot Alliance has, along with his wife Susan, launched his own label: SURU (SUsan and RUssell and as you can see, they are framed by an H for their surname) The new line includes a pinot grigioi, a riesling a rose of shiraz and this wine, simply named "Red." Although the have their own 17-acre vineyard in Matittuck, where they grow merlot, cabernet franc, cabernet sauvignon and petit verdot, Russell told me that their goal is…

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Peconic Bay Winery 2007 “Nautique” Esprit de Rouge

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to my red house wine of the near future (once I clear out some space in my cellar for a case or two). It's called Nautique 2007 Esprit de Rouge ($16) and it's produced by Peconic Bay Winery. It's one of three wines that make up the new Nautique label (there is an Esprite de Blanc and Esprit de Rose too) and they replaced the winery's old Local Flavor wines as of August 1. The Rouge carries non-vintage label (and subsequent bottlings very well may be non-vintage)…

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Bedell Cellars 2008 First Crush Red

By Lenn Thompson, Founder and Editor-in-Chief Too often we get caught up in the idea that every wine has to be mind-blowingly complex, nuanced and age worthy. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and drink a wine that is just plain delicious to drink with your dinner — now, not with any aging the cellar. Bedell Cellars 2008 First Crush Red ($18) is one such wine. You won't find too many 2008 reds released already, but this one doesn't see a splinter of oak in its creation, and it's probably at its best right now. Is this a…

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Red, With Envy: Assessing 2007 Finger Lakes Reds

Evan Dawson, our intrepid Finger Lakes wine guy, working the bottling line at Fox Run Winery By Evan Dawson, Finger Lakes CorrespondentPhoto by Peter Bell Men — married men, especially — are all too familiar with the unforeseen blunder, the deleterious effects, of saying something like this: "Honey, you look really nice today!" What begins as a compliment is quickly met with, "And what do I look like most days?" This is essentially the problem facing Finger Lakes wineries regarding the 2007 reds. The palpable excitement is met with caution, especially from business owners and marketers. Many would love to…

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Channing Daughters Winery 2005 Mudd

Channing Daughters Winery's winemaker, Chris Tracy, is a magician with white wines. For the most part though, I find his reds a notch or (and sometimes two) below the level of those beautiful whites. He's no less creative with the reds though. Take this Channing Daughters Winery 2005 MUDD ($40) a blend of 48% merlot (from Sam McCullough’s Vineyard in Aquebogue), 36% cabernet sauvignon (from Mudd Vineyard in Southold) and 16% Blaufrankisch (from CDW's estate in Bridgehampton). I don't know many winemakers who would take a Bordeaux-styled blend of merlot and cabernet and throw 16% Blau, which is most commonly…

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Fox Run Vineyards 2005 Reserve Cabernet Franc

I mentioned earlier this week that I've been impressed by some 2005 Finger Lakes cabernet francs. Well, this is the one that I liked best in that recent blind tasting. From the moment I pulled the cork, I knew this wine was going to be interesting. Once in my glass, complex aromas of camp fire, black pepper bacon, sweet vanilla, cocoa powder and intense black fruit fill the room. When I re-tasted this wine the next day, the smokiness had stepped back a bit, with fruit coming to the forefront and subtle herbal qualities emerging. Smoke and spice lead on…

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WTN: Shinn Estate Vineyards ‘Red’ (North Fork)

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Long Island, admittedly, doesn’t offer many red wine values under $20. So when I tasted Shinn Estate Vineyards’ latest non-vintage labeled ‘Red’ table wine, which is $15, I had high hopes. Would this be a wine I could tell people about when they want an every day-priced red? Yes…and no. I really liked the Red from a couple years ago, but this one, which is actually made from grapes grown in 2006, isn’t quite as good despite its redeeming qualities. The previous bottling was 75% merlot and 25% cabernet sauvignon, so this is quite different, made with 99% merlot and…

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Finger Lakes Harvest 2007: Excellent for Reds, Hopeful for Whites

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By Finger Lakes Correspondent Jason Feulner  "The intense flavors just burst in your mouth," explains Phil Davis of Damiani Wine Cellars, describing the qualities of the red vinifera grapes he harvested and tasted in the fall of 2007. "The juice is dark and complex and shows a lot of potential." Davis is one of many Finger Lakes winemakers who are extolling the virtues of the 2007 harvest, which they claim may lead to one of the best Finger Lakes vintages in many years. The weather certainly was unique. A dry spring led to a very dry summer; the growing season…

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